Darlington Building Society invests in the local community

A campaign by a local building society has seen over 6,500 votes cast to select how £16,000 is shared between local charities.

Run by Darlington Building Society, the campaign to find affinity partners for its 10 branches followed a vote by the Society’s members to support organisations involved in assisting others, elderly and loneliness, and medical research and saw 27 charities selected by branch staff.

With three charities shortlisted per branch, the Society opened voting to members and the general public. The ballot saw 6,505 votes cast with participants choosing the charity they felt would benefit most from a donation of £1,000 per branch, as well as all in-branch fundraising for the year. The initiative forms part of the promise that the Society has made to give 5% of net profits after tax back to the local community.

All of the shortlisted charities will benefit from the campaign, receiving a donation of £1,000, £400 or £200 depending on the number of votes they received.

Darlington Building Society Brand and Customer Insight Officer, Josh Palin, explained that it has allowed both the Society’s members and the general public to make a real difference to the charities involved.

He said: “It is a commitment of Darlington Building Society to give back to the communities it serves as part of its 5% pledge. The affinity campaign has embodied this and allowed the Society to raise the profile of important local charities.

“It has been a pleasure to see so many votes from our members and the general public, supporting such a broad range of causes. We hope this will create strong and lasting partnerships between the winning charities and their respective branches.”

The winning charities and their respective branches are:

Barnard Castle – Teesdale & Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue

Bishop Auckland – Woodhouse Community Centre

Darlington Cockerton – Great North Children’s Hospital Foundation

Darlington Tubwell Row – Bike Stop

Guisborough – Great North Air Ambulance

Middlesbrough – My Sister’s Place

Northallerton – Rainbow Trust

Redcar – Jessica’s Smile

Stockton – Street League

Yarm – TFM Cash for Kids

To follow the progress of the winning charities, or to learn more about Darlington Building Society’s work with local communities, go to www.darlington.co.uk.

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